Improvement in wood pavements



UNITED STATES HENRY M. sTow, or am FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN WOOD PAVEMENTS.

$pecification forming part of Letters Patent No. 137,993, dated April 15, 1873 application filed December 13, 1872.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY M. STOW, of San Francisco, in the county of San Francis 00 and State of California, have invented certain Improvements in Wood Pavements, and improved methods of constructing the same, of which the following is a specification:

When a pavement is constructed of wood prepared by any good preserving process, the wood will last until it wears out by the abrasion of the wheels of vehicles and of the hoofs of animals. It is manifest that the closer the paving-blocks are set together the less liability there will be to wear. But where thick blocks, sawed into rectangular form, are set in Close contact, the pavement is liable to bulge from the swellingof the wood in wet weather.

The object of my invention is to devise a convenient and easy method of setting the paving-blocks much nearer together than is customary, but at the same time not in close contact.

To carry into eflect my invention I use small cords or strips of paper between the rows of blocks to prevent themfrom coming into close contact. The width of the space thus formed will depend upon the size of the cord or the thickness of the paper thus used, which is to remain between the rows of blocks. After each row of blocks is set across the roadway I stretch a cord from end to end of said row against the blocks, near their lower ends, and then set the next row against said cord, or I interpose strips of paper between the rows as the same are being set up.

I use coarse cheap roofing paper, which may be made of any desired thickness by folding or doubling, and the paper may be as wide as the whole depth of the blocks, or of any less width-say one inch wide. Whether a small cord or paper be used I fill the narrow spaces between the rows of blocks by pouring in melted coal-tar, pitch, or some suitable cement.

My improvements thus described are equal- 1y applicable to pavements set on a board, earth, sand, orconcrete foundation. When, however, the pavement is set on a sand or earth foundation, the blocks should be embedded into the foundation bed by striking one or more blows with a hatchet or other suitable instrument upon each block as it is placed in position, or by means of a mawl and swage or heavy roller after the blocks have been placed.

In the annexed drawing, Figure 1 represents a cross-section of a pavement constructed according to the first part of my invention, A being the paving-blocks, a a small cords interposed between the rows of blocks, and b b b strips of tarred paper so interposed. This figure represents the pavement before the interstices have been filled with tar, pitch,or ce ment.

2. A pavement composed of rectangular blocks separated by paper or cord, the same remaining and forming a part of the pavement, and the spaces filled with coal-tar, pitch, ors0me suitable cement, substantially as de scribed.

HENRY M. STOW.

Witnesses:

- JOSEPH L. 0ooMBs,

EDM. F. BROWN.

What I claim as my invention, and desire 

